Feed-trough



(No Model.)

B. GRAHAM 8v 'J.- DOOLITTLE. FEED THOUGH.

o. 406.511. Patented July 9, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELIAS GRAHAM AND JAMES-DOOLIT'ILE, OF HAZEL DELL, ILLINOIS.

FEED -TROUGH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,511, dated July 9, 1889.

Application filed March 22, 1889.. Serial No. 304,268- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ELIAS GRAHAM and JAMES DOOLITTLE, citizens of the United States, residing at Hazel Dell, in the county of Cumberland and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feed-Troughs; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part' of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in feed-troughs for animals; and it has for its object to simplify and cheapen andto generally improve upon the construction of this class of devices.

To these ends and to such othersas the invention may pertain the same consists in the peculiar combinations and in the novel construction, arrangement, and adaptation of parts, all as more fullyhereinafter described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, like letters of reference indicating like parts throughout the several views, and in which drawings- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a feedtrough constructed in accordance with our invention, the rack or cover of the trough being shown as raised. Fig. 2 is a similar view of the trough in which the rack is shown as lowered or closed, portions being broken away in order to better illustrate the construction. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the locking mechanism.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the body of the trough, which is in all respects similar to the feed-troughs which are in common use.

B is the rack or cover of the trough, this rack being of a size and form which will adapt it to be fitted within the enlarged upper side or entrance to the trough, the end strips 0 O of the rack being extended a short ends with eyes or loops F, adapted to engage the eyes G upon the inner face of the rear side of the trough, and thus serve as hinges for the cover or rack.

H H are coiled springs, the convolutes of which surround the extended ends of the pins 1, which pins are driven into the inner edges of the extended portions of the end strips C of the rack, one end of the wire composing the spring being extended into a suitable opening formed in the rear edge of the longitudinal strip D, while the opposite or free ends J of the wire are bent downward at substantially right angles to the strip D, and are adapted to bear against the inner face of the rear face of the trough when the rack is closed, and thus to throw the said rack open when the locking-latch has been released.

K is the latch, which is pivoted at a point near its lower end to the inner face of the front of the trough and provided at a point near its upper end with a notch L, which notch is designed to be fiush with the upper edge'of the front of the trough when the said latch is in a vertical or locked position. The lower end of the latch K is widened, as shown at K, and within this widened lower end is secured one end of the spring rod or wire M, the other end of which wire is extended diagonally upward adjacent to the inner front face of the trough at the rear of the latch, and is passed through the eye or loop N secured to the inner face of the front of the trough, said wire serving as a spring, the tension of which tends to secure the latch in a vertical or locked position.

The longitudinal strip or timber D of the rack is provided with a cut-away portion or recess 0, for the reception of the end of the latch, and when in a locked position the notch L of the latch engages the shoulder P at one end of the said recess.

The operation is simple, and will be readily understood in connection with the foregoing description.

Having thus described our invention,what

we claim to be new, and desire to secure by.

Letters Patent, is

1. In a feed-trough, the combination, with the body A, of the rack having its timbers 0 extended beyond the rear strip D, the staples E, secured to the rear edge of said strip, the eyes G, on the inner face of the rear side of the trough and engaging said staples, the pins I, arranged lengthwise of the body and secured in the extended ends of the timber O, and the coiled springs H H, having their convolutes around said pins, with one end secured to the strip D and the other end adapted to bear against the rear side of the body of the trough, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination, with the body of the trough and the hinged rack, the front crossbar of which is formed with recess 0 and shoulder P, of the latch K, pivoted to the ELIAS GRAHAM. JAMES DOOLITTLE.

\Vitnesses:

W. S. EMRICH, O. M. MYERS. 

